Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Miscarriage Risks

This topic hits way too close to home but.......it may help someone who here are a few clips from here and there to address miscarriage. If you want to know the sources, Google it. Like the disclaimer says, this is just for info.

A new Kaiser Permanente study shows stronger evidence that caffeine consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.
The study showed women who consume 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day (two or more cups of regular coffee or five cans of caffeinated soda) had twice the miscarriage risk as women who consumed no caffeine.
Even women who consumed less than 200 milligrams of caffeine increased their miscarriage risk by more than 40 percent compared to women who consumed no caffeine.

Mayo Clinic:

What increases the risk of miscarriage?

Various circumstances increase the risk of miscarriage, including:
  1. Age. Women older than age 35 have a higher risk of miscarriage than do younger women. Paternal age also may play a role. In a 2006 study, women whose partners were age 40 or older had a higher risk of miscarriage than did women whose partners were younger than age 25.
  2. Previous miscarriages. The risk of miscarriage is higher in women with a history of two or more previous miscarriages. After one miscarriage, your risk of miscarriage is the same as that of a woman who's never had a miscarriage.
  3. Chronic conditions. Women with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes or thyroid disease, have a higher risk of miscarriage.
  4. Uterine or cervical problems. Certain uterine abnormalities or a weak or unusually short cervix may increase the risk of miscarriage.
  5. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Women who smoke or drink alcohol during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do nonsmokers and women who avoid alcohol during pregnancy. Illicit drug use also increases the risk of miscarriage.
  6. Caffeine. ** See recent KP study results above**
  7. Invasive prenatal tests. Some prenatal genetic tests, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, carry a slight risk of miscarriage.

Does using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy increase the risk of adverse events? - NSAIDs

Congenital abnormality, low birth weight, and preterm birth incidence were not higher in offspring of women who had taken a NSAID during pregnancy. Miscarriages were significantly higher in women who had filled a prescription for an NSAID the week before miscarriage (odds ratio=6.99; 95% confidence interval, 2.75-17.74). Miscarriage was not associated with prescriptions filled 10 to 12 weeks before the date of miscarriage.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE
This study contributes valuable information for physicians and their pregnant patients contemplating use of NSAIDs. Women who have used NSAIDs before or during pregnancy may be reassured that there is no evidence of increased risk of congenital abnormality, low birth weight, or preterm birth. Also, women contemplating pregnancy should be warned about the association of miscarriage with NSAIDs. It seems prudent for women with a history of recurrent miscarriage to avoid NSAIDs.

Hot Tubs and Jacuzzis

A study published in the November 15, 2003, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who used hot tubs or Jacuzzis in early pregnancy were twice as likely to have a miscarriage as women who did not.

"Based on our findings I would say that women in the early stages of pregnancy -- and those who may have conceived but aren't sure -- might want to play it safe for the first few months and avoid hot tubs or any exposure to hot water that will significantly increase body temperature," says Dr. De-Kun Li. "

Although the finding is still preliminary, it is prudent for women to take such precautionary measures to reduce unnecessary risk of miscarriage."The study, "Hot Tub Use during Pregnancy and the Risk of Miscarriage," found that the miscarriage risk went up with more frequent hot tub or Jacuzzi use, and with use in the early stages of a pregnancy. Furthermore, among women who remembered the temperature settings of their hot tubs or Jacuzzis, the study found some indications that the risk of having a miscarriage may increase with higher water temperature settings.


Menarcheal age and spontaneous abortion: Further evidence for a connection
Lorena Madrigal
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620

Abstract
This paper examines the association between menarcheal age and risk of spontaneous abortion with a data set collected in Limon, Costa Rica. The Limonense sample differs from those previously reported in terms of age, socioeconomic and ethnic background. Thus, the sample is excellent to test whether menarcheal age and risk of miscarriage are associated in a nonindustrialized group as they appear to be in industrialized samples. Females who experienced one or more miscarriages have a significantly earlier age at first menses than those who did not. The results also indicate that a possible reason for this association is that early maturers tend to experience first pregnancy at an earlier age than do late maturers.

Factors that do not increase the risk of miscarriage (that we know of)

Date updated: July 09, 2007 Kathe Gallagher, MSW

It is normal to wonder whether you have done something to cause a miscarriage. It may be reassuring to know that miscarriage is not caused by:

  1. The mother's emotional state or a sudden fright.
  2. Sexual intercourse.
  3. Exercise.
  4. A single diagnostic X-ray or total radiation exposure of less than 5 rad (discuss this with your radiologist or health professional).1
  5. Working or lifting heavy objects.
  6. A fall or a blow to the abdomen, unless severe.
  7. Diet. There is no conclusive evidence that a diet moderately lacking in nutrients causes miscarriage. Also, the nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) of early pregnancy do not cause miscarriage.
  8. High folic acid intake. Despite initial concern among experts about miscarriage risk, research has shown that folic acid may actually help prevent miscarriage.2
  9. Exposure to computer monitors.3